Poll: U.S. satisfaction triples

The number of Americans satisfied with the country’s direction has nearly tripled over the past year, but a majority of them remain upset with where the United States is headed, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Three-in-ten Americans, or 30 percent, are very satisfied or somewhat satisfied, a Gallup poll found. That number is dwarfed by the 68 percent who are unhappy, including 41 percent who described themselves as very dissatisfied.

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But there’s a positive trend: A year ago, only 11 percent of Americans were satisfied or somewhat satisfied, while 88 percent said they were dissatisfied. In February 2009, shortly after President Barack Obama’s inauguration, only 15 percent said they were content with the county’s direction, and 82 percent disagreed.

In the run up to the presidential election, partisanship appears to be playing a role in the increased optimism. A majority of Democrats — 52 percent — are happy with where the country is going, up from one-in-five a year ago. Only 7 percent of Republicans said the same. A quarter of independents are satisfied.

Gallup has been asking the satisfaction question since 1979, and the three presidents who won a second term during that time saw higher satisfaction levels than Obama in the September before their reelection. Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George Bush all topped 40 percent.